Path of Radiance
by Star's Radiant Blaze
Summary: It's been two and a half years since Ran's supposed defeat and Elsword's untimely death. The Elgang mourn deeply for his loss. However, an old evil arises from the depths of the sea, intent on waging war on the whole of Elrios. With Elsword gone, can the Elgang save the world once more? T for later chapters. Sequel to Return of the Darkness. UP FOR ADOPTION.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the story you've all been waiting for...

The sequel to Return of the Darkness, Path of Radiance!

I don't really have much to say in this, other than if you haven't read Return of the Darkness, I suggest you do. Otherwise, you'll not understand what's going on.

So, without further ado, welcome to the sequel!

Disclaimer: Saying this only once and once only. I don't own Elsword. KOG and KillerCombo own this wonderful MMORPG.

* * *

Prologue

Everlasting Wound

It had been almost two and half years since Ran, the villainous demon lord bent on ruling the world, had been defeated by the Elgang, the band of heroes who've saved the El and the world. Those who were effected by Ran's tyranny, particularly Hamel, were rebuilding and becoming restored. At last, it seemed as if the world was back to normal.

It had also been almost two and half years, however, that the dual swordsman, Elsword, had perished. Because of Ran, he had been corrupted and turned into a demon, which caused him to go missing for three months before he returned to the group. Though he became normal at the end, he sacrificed his life to help his friends.

The group was oblivious to Elsword's secret until they had arrived at the Halls of Water and found out about it. Despite this, they still loved Elsword like family, for he was the one who brought the group, the Elgang as it were, together.

And now, he was gone. His loss saddened the Elgang dearly. The house in which they lived in was much more quiet than it used to be. No longer were there arguments, playful or otherwise, between him and Aisha.

The Dimension Witch often cried herself to sleep at night, wishing for Elsword to return. She loved him like a brother, and to see him go like that... It made her frail nerves wither even more. Her eyes were forever swollen and pink like cotton candy. Why did he have to go? Why?

"It's not fair," she wailed, "that he had leave after only barely seeing us after three months!"

She was not the only one to feel this, of course. Eve had managed to keep calm during this time, though she, somewhat reluctantly, admits she still feels sadness. Rena often took walks outside, and Ara meditated to calm her nerves. Chung, like Aisha, often cried too. Raven began to read a whole lot more to keep his mind off things.

"I wish he could come back, so everything could be back to normal!" Aisha said. "We could have fun and games, and laugh at Elsword or Chung getting slapped into a wall by Eve." Aisha chuckled at that last part. "I'm still wondering how'd they survived those bashings."

That memory, as funny as it sounded, made her feel a little better on the inside as she went back to sleep for the umpteenth time that day.

_Maybe... things will come back to normal... _

* * *

**In the ocean, unspecific region and unrecorded time...**

There was a stirring in the ocean. An unusual stirring. All of its inhabitants could feel it. There was a unified feeling that they all agreed on. Darkness. The sea itself seemed to follow their emotions, waves rolling uneasily across the surface.

Near the bottom of the ocean, something glimmered brightly from its murky depths. Something was... awakening. The light increased in brightness and soon a shape could be made out.

It was a four legged creature that looked about 30 feet long and 20 feet tall. It was curled up on the ocean floor, sleep.

And then, as if on cue, its neon yellow eyes sharply shot open and it unfurled from its position.

"It is time for me to rise again. The world shall soon know my wrath..."

The creature roared, bubbles forming around the massive beast.

An ancient evil had finally awoken.

* * *

A/N: Sorry if this was short, but it'll get longer in later chapters. I'll put up all the classes in the next chapter.

Another note: Add will not been in this story (or if he is, he'll be in a later chapter).

Anyways, R&amp;R! Constructive criticism is welcome! No flaming allowed!

~SRB


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I forgot to put job classes up last chapter, so I'll put them here. They're the same as last time but this is just to refresh the memory.

Raven: Veteran Commander. (Age: 29)

Chung: Tactical Trooper (Age: 18)

Rena: Night Watcher (Age: N/A)

Eve: Code Empress (Age: N/A)

Aisha: Dimension Witch (Age: 20)

Ara: Sakra Devanam (Age: 19)

* * *

Chapter 1

Ripples

The ocean sentients weren't the only ones who've felt the disturbance. Ara and her spirit, Eun, had felt it too. A shiver ran down her spine. What was that?

"Eun, what was that?" Ara asked nervously.

_I haven't a clue, Ara. _Eun replied. _But it felt like ripple. A ripple in time and space._

"Time and space?"

_Yes. It has been slightly disturbed, a mini... turbulence, for lack of a better word._

"Shouldn't Aisha be able to feel it since she does control space-time?"

_Perhaps. This disturbance is on a more...spiritual level. Aisha may or may not be able to feel it._

"Hm... Well, whatever it was, it felt so... unnerving." Her eyes narrowed in worry. "I don't like it."

_Neither do I, Ara. Neither do I._

* * *

Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly), Aisha did feel it on a somewhat larger scale. Her staff started to shake violently out of nowhere and she could feel a distortion in space-time. Then it all stopped as soon as it started, the distortion gone with it.

"... That feeling... I hadn't felt that before..." Aisha said quietly to herself. "It's like the space-time continuum got disrupted somehow. That's weird..."

It wasn't her that had made it go haywire for a moment (Lady El knows what would happen if that were the case); space and time was bent to her will. She rarely ever messed up with that (and again, if she did... Aisha shivered at the thought). No, it was a different entity. Something big had made that go off.

Aisha gulped worriedly. From earlier experience, anything that can cause something that massive is more than likely evil. Just look how Ran turned out to be.

"... Something tells me that we're in huge trouble..." Aisha said worriedly. "I gotta tell someone about this."

But who? Her mind wracked for ideas until a lightbulb shown.

"Glave! That's it!" Aisha exclaimed in realization. Glave was the guardian of Henir's Time and Space. He of all people - as creepy he looked, Aisha thought, wincing - should know about what had happened.

With staff in hand, she swiftly ran out the house in search for Glave.

* * *

Glave was simply standing in front of the entrance to Henir's Time and Space. His eye was closed and a troubled look was written across his face. This wasn't right. Henir's Time and Space... it was off somehow. Something had disturbed it, but only for a split second.

This was bad. If Henir's Time and Space was being destroyed...

"Glave!"

He turned to the Dimension Witch, and opened his eye. "Do you wish to enter Henir's Time and Space?" he asked.

"Nope, not today!" Aisha told him. "I'm here with a concern about time and space."

His eye widened. "You felt it, too?!"

Aisha's own eyes widened. "You felt it, too?!" she echoed. "Great! Just the guy I needed to see!"

"I'm glad I wasn't the only one who felt the tiny distortion with space-time," Glave said. "I thought I was going crazy at first, but I felt it more strongly when I entered Henir's Time and Space."

"I don't know what might have caused such a thing to happen," Aisha said nervously. She described what happened when she felt space-time go out of whack.

"Hm... This is quite strange," Glave finally answered. "I haven't seen anything like this before nor felt it. Either the apocalypse has arrived, or something or someone is tampering with the space-time dimension."

"Tampering?" Aisha said with a raised eyebrow. "Who else could tamper with it besides me and possibly you?"

Glave's eye closed again in thought. "No, it couldn't be..." he muttered to himself.

"What?"

Glave opened his eye again. "The destroyer of years past... the true ruler of time and space... the Genocide Breaker..."

"Genocide... Breaker?" Aisha said.

"You might have to go to the Velder library for more information," Glave told her.

"Thanks!" she said, taking off again. This Genocide Breaker thing sounded dangerous. Best to find out more information on it.

* * *

After some time, she found a book about the Genocide Breaker and began reading.

_In times past, when Elrios had gained control of El and its powers, Lady El had made a being to govern time and space, the Dimensional Paladin. The Dimensional Paladin lived in his own dimensional plane, keeping watch over the flow of time and space and ridding any threat that tried to break that flow. So long as his heart still beat and his breath went unabated, the balance of time and space was harmonized._

_But then, when the El had depleted to severely low levels, space-time had begun to distort. New dimensions arose on the surface plane of Elrios. Chaos ensued. The Dimensional Paladin had turned rogue. He was no longer the Dimensional Paladin. Now he was known as the Genocide Breaker, Elrios' sole destructor._

_For many years the land was ravaged and torn apart by his savage powers. It wasn't until Lady El decided enough was enough. She banished him from his dimensional plane and sealed him away at the bottom of the sea with three ancient weapons of different timelines imbued with powerful magic, then led the task of keeping time and space stable to herself alone. The Genocide Breaker would not awaken unless the flames of war were fanned in under five hundred years. Since then, the Genocide Breaker has stayed in his slumber for three hundred and twenty six years. If he were to reawaken, the world may never see the light of day again..._

Aisha's eyes widened in shock as she finished. This was bad. If the distortions in time and space meant the Genocide Breaker was waking up again...

"We're in trouble..." Aisha thought aloud.

Putting the book down, she rushed out the library to tell the Elgang.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the wait, but I finally managed to get this up again!

R&amp;R! Did I do better? Worse? Criticism is advised. Flames are not.

~SRB


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Had a severe case of Writer's Block and school came around.

Anyhow, on with the story!

* * *

Chapter 3

Abyssal Awakening

Aisha made it back to the house just as everyone was sitting down for dinner. She burst through the door, lightly panting.

"Aisha, what's the matter?" Ara asked, concerned. "You look like you just ran a mile."

"Guys, I have bad news," Aisha said, breathing having calmed somewhat.

That got the Elgang's attention.

* * *

"WHAT?!"

"Yea, that was my reaction too," Aisha replied.

"But what can we do against something so powerful?" Rena said, a deep look of worry in her green eyes.

"That, I don't know," Aisha replied sadly.

"What information we have gathered is that due to the cataclysmic time and space disruptions you have felt, the Genocide Breaker must be reawakening," Eve declared.

"And if that's the case..." began Aisha.

"Then we're pretty screwed," finished Chung.

Aisha suddenly perked up. "Actually, now thinking about it, there was something Lady El used to keep the Genocide Breaker sealed away," she said.

"Really?" went Raven.

"In order to keep the Genocide Breaker from rampaging again, she took three different weapons from different timelines and locked him away, before taking the responsibility of keeping time stable herself," Aisha explained.

"And if he wakes up? What then?" said Ara.

"All I know is that if he does, we're dead. Probably the weapons will break, effectively releasing the seal on him."

_"Fufufufu... pathetic welps of flesh... I have awoken."_

The Elgang flinched at the new voice. The voice, heavily baritone and intimidating with a hint of a hiss to it, spoke again.

_"You cannot see me due to me hiding my presence," _the voice explained. _"I am the _true _ruler of time and space, the one who will destroy you all. The Genocide Breaker."_

"What?!" said a frightened Aisha, gripping her staff tightly. Everyone else likewise did the same.

The Genocide Breaker merely laughed again. _"You think your staff will save you? Foolish witch, you know not the tricks of time and space as I do," _he told her, voice dripping with malice. He seemed to clear his throat and continued, _"I am free once more thanks to the war between the demons and yourselves, including you, the Elgang as people so dubbed you weaklings. I would have awoken much sooner, but I wanted it to be a surprise while you guys had finished mourning over your little friend that just died."_

"Wait, how do you know about Elsword?" Chung said, eyes narrowed. "And about us?"

_"Ah, young Prince Seiker," _the Genocide Breaker addressed with a drawl in his tone this time, Chung slightly paling. _"I am a time and space god, did you not know that already? I know all that has transpired. I can go to the past and warp back to the present in the blink of an eye. And it seems a lot has happened in my absence since I was sealed by the blasted woman, Lady El..._

_"But none of that matters, now. I shall bide my time, regaining what I once lost and take back Elrios by storm. Then, I'll get rid of Lady El as well. Be warned, Elgang. You may have just met your match.."_

The Genocide Breaker laughed evilly and for a brief second the face of black lizard like creature appeared before disappearing into nothing...

The Elgang was shocked into silence. The Genocide Breaker, awoken already?

Finally, after a while, Ara said, "Well, what are we gonna do?"

"What are we gonna do? We're up against a god of time and space!" Aisha exclaimed. "How are we supposed to defeat a _god _of all people?!"

"We could always reseal him - " began Chung.

"The seal has been broken," Eve cut in, sipping some tea. "And as the weapons that created the seal were from three different time lines, the chances of resealing him are slim. Our only option is to gather as much strength as we possibly can, and attack him."

"But most of the forces from Velder are still depleted from the battle with Ran," Raven said, quietly rapping his metallic fingers on the table.

"Yes but we still have one other alternative," Eve said, and everyone turned to her as she told them...

* * *

A/N: Again, sorry for my lateness and sorry for the poor quality this chapter probably brought. Updates will be much slower due to school and such matters.

Anyhow, read and review like always!

~GRB


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Great news! I'll be introducing a new character in this chapter! Who is it you may ask? You'll just have to guess and see!

Now, without further ado, let's get started with the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 4

Of Nasods and Men

"Eve, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"What if they turn on you?"

"They won't," Eve responded to her worried comrades as they descended the Altera Core. It was primarily empty for the most part. "I am their queen. Should they choose to defy someone such as me, they shall be punished accordingly to how I see fit."

"You're not going to consider killing them, right?" Aisha said.

"No," said Eve readily. "We need all the soldiers we can for this impeading threat. Chung has set off for Hamel to handle soldiers on his end."

The plan the Elgang decided on by Eve was for Chung to go to Hamel (and possibly Feita if he had time) and recruit troops while Eve did the same for the Nasods. They would meet up to see how they progressed.

In retrospect, it sounded easy. In reality, training all those troops was way more difficult.

The elevator took the four remaining Elgang down to the bottom of Altera Core. As they entered the place where the Nasod King lay, many Nasods turned to them, though showed no sign of violence.

Eve promptly cleared her throat, turning to all the Nasods and the ceased to function Nasod King and spoke with a commanding tone, "Nasods! Your ruler has returned in order to grant a request. King Nasod is no more as you see, but I, the queen, is alive. I must ask of you, aid me and my comrades in this time of reckoning!"

"I don't think so!"

A lone man appeared from the shadows, floating spheres surrounding. His violet eyes gleamed menacingly.

"Who are you?!" Aisha yelled, gripping her staff.

The man laughed. "I'm Add," he replied. "I've been looking for the Nasod Queen for awhile now. I've found her, and I will have her!"

"Not on our watch!" Rena shouted.

"Wait." Eve walked calmly to Add. "Add, you have the incredible audacity to challenge me, but I will not allow myself to be captured by something as trivial as you. If you want to capture me, you'll have to fight me first."

Oberon and Ophelia stood in rapt attention beside Eve as Add growled, "I'll make you eat those words, wench!"

Add attacked, charging in with a wild yell as he attempted to kick Eve in the face. However, Eve dodged, and sent Oberon to attack.

"Surface Cutting!" she yelled, and Oberon sliced at Add, earning a grunt as he was hit.

"So that's how you want it, huh?!" Add yelled, dark eyes narrowed in anger. "Gravity Buster!"

Eve was sent flying by the purple sphere of energy aimed at her, but caught herself, hovering mid air as she stared daggers at the man. Just what was this guy?

Hmph. No matter. She was the Nasod Queen. And she had a duty to fufill.

"Does my power intimidate you, Nasod Queen?" crowed Add maliciously. The Dynamos swirled around him, as if waiting for his command.

"I have fought stronger opponents than you in my day," replied Eve cooly. "Nonetheless, I would have never expected you to hit me with a direct attack."

Add chuckled darkly. "I guess that's a compliment, if any," Add replied, raising an eyebrow in mock innocence. He even bowed a little. "And from the queen herself, no less. Splendid! Tell me, what is your name?"

"Eve."

As soon as she said that, she said, "Heaven's Fist!" and a giant robotic fist came from above, hitting the Diabolic Esper and smashing him into the ground.

For a few moments, Eve thought she had won. Until...

"You think that'll stop me?!"

Add appeared from above, surprising Eve and the others of the Elgang. A huge Cheshire grin was plastered on his face as he shouted, and attempted punch the Code Empress in the face, only for Ophelia to block the attack.

"Too slow!" Add said, and disappeared within a portal.

"What the-?" Eve was perplexed. Nothing in her nor her servants' scanners had seen anything like this before.

"Reverse Circle!"

Add blasted a strong pulse energy in Eve's face, sending her to the ground with a cry. Her servants came to her side.

"Hn, pathetic," came Add's statement in disgust. "Not even a challenge."

Eve struggled to stand, Oberon and Ophelia aiding her. That energy was immense. She hadn't felt something the likes of that in a while.

"Huh? You still up?" Add cracked his knuckles. "Well, time to finish this! Paranoia-!"

"Code: Thunderbolt..." Eve murmured quietly.

"Wha-?" The dangerously purple aura stopped short.

He was knocked away by a sudden shockwave, and Ferdinand appeared. He proceeded to attack Add fiercely, even sending large bursts of energy at him. Add couldn't even fight back.

"YEA! Way to go, Eve!" Aisha cheered loudly, earning a tiny sweatdrop from the others.

Even the other Nasods were cheering, chanting, "Hail Queen Eve! Hail Queen Eve!"

It was sometime later that Ferdinand stopped beating Add to a pulp and bowed to Eve, disappearing in a flash. Eve dusted herself off, walking towards the half-conscious Add, whom was glaring at her. He struggled to stand.

"I would recommend you not doing that," Eve calmly stated, summoning a floating chair, Ophelia bringing her tea. "It would not be in your best interest, especially with you being critically injured."

"Gah... Curses... I will have you...!" Add replied stubbornly.

Eve sighed. "Aisha, may you have the liberty of knocking this foolish boy out please?" she asked.

Aisha gladly complied.

Raven walked to the Code Empress. "What do we do from here?" he asked.

"I must stay here and prepare the Nasods for what is to come," Eve said.

"I'll take Add outta here," suggested Aisha. "He might have some info we might not know."

"Good thinking, Aisha," Ara agreed, picking up the Diabolic Esper. "I'll come with you."

"And I guess Raven and I have to check Chung on how's he doing with recruiting soldiers," Rena added.

"That, I wouldn't mind," Eve told her, smiling a rare smile.

Rena smiled back. "Alright. Stay safe!"

And with that, they group split.

_"Hahaha... Those fools. They think several hundred soldiers will stop me?!"_

The Genocide Breaker paced in his underwater domain, a long slithery tongue running along his maw. His gold reptilian eyes peered into a portal showing the kingdom of Hamel. He smiled, teeth glinting brightly.

"I'll just have to pay someone a little visit..." he said with a hiss.

* * *

A/N: I loved writing this chapter. It was extremely fun. Also, I know next to nothing about Add, so um... Pardon my mistakes please.

Read and review!

~GRB


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hello there everyone! Halloween is just around the corner. To celebrate, this'll be an earlier update! *cheers for no procrastinating and doing school work for once*

Thanks for 1,000+ views guys! :D

I also have a poll for this story on my profile. Please go and check it out. It's important for this story's ending.

* * *

Chapter 5

Surprise Encounter

**Kingdom of Hamel, mid-afternoon...**

Chung had finally finished gathering the remaining and able troops and sent them to their respective locations on where to train. He sighed, tired as he sat outside the main city, the wind swaying in his hair.

Assembling an army was quite the task, taking almost a whole afternoon to do, which technically shouldn't even be possible. But, somehow, the prince of Hamel managed to get it done.

_"Mmm..._ _What a delightful surprise."_

Chung turned when he suddenly heard a voice behind him.

_"Where are you looking?"_

Chung turned again, this time feeling something pressed against his stomach. He couldn't see what it was though.

_"Haha... It's so fun to play cat and mouse with you, Prince Seiker," _the voice drawled, chuckling lowly.

"What's going on - wait, you're the - !"

_"Yes, it is I, the Genocide Breaker. I decided I wanted to pay a visit to the young heir himself. I wanted to chat. Oh, and if you're wondering, that's my claw in your stomach. _

Chung paled considerably. His claw...?

_"Don't worry, I won't hurt you... If you'll hear me out on my proposition that is."_

"What do you mean?" Chung asked suspiciously. He didn't trust this guy, but he knew the time-space deity certainly wasn't here to fight. If that were the case, the Genocide Breaker wouldn't have hesitated to start razing the place.

_"Well, you see, I know you and your friends of yours are amassing an army to stop me," _the time-space god explained, _"and I must admit, you are adamant about defeating me. Kudos to you. However, a mere army won't stop me from getting my vengeance on this forsaken world. Fufufu, mortals can never defeat a god. It's absurd, almost suicidal."_

"So, what are you trying to say?" Chung urged impatiently, glaring at what was supposedly the Genocide Breaker.

_"I'm trying to say that it's futile to go against me, and you should just give up. Knowing you won't ,however, is a shame on my end. So, instead, I'll do this. _

_"You and you're group will have about a week to prepare for battle, all the while I'll send some of my minions to test you. If you survive the week, the battle will take place in the middle of the sea. The fight to save the world will begin._

_"However, if you don't meet me in the designated location or if you lose the survival challenge, then I shall rule the world, tearing the world asunder piece by piece."_

"You wouldn't!" Chung yelled, grabbing his Freitener, only for him to clutch his stomach with his other hand as the time-space god's claw squeezed painfully. The prince could've sworn he felt claws unsheath and digging into him.

_"No need to be so hasty, Prince Seiker. Save your energy for fighting me and my people on the field of battle. Now, tell your insolent patches of skin and bones what I have told you. I will be watching."_

The claw retreated, as did the Genocide Breaker, and Chung dropped to the ground, hand holding a now bleeding abdomen. It was superficial, but it still hurt horribly.

"And that wasn't even at full strength," Chung thought aloud. "B-but, the others... They have to be warned... Must hurry..."

"Chung!"

The prince was met with the voices of Raven and Rena, both of whom came running. Rena's eyes widened when she saw Chung in pain. "What happened?" she asked quickly.

"The Genocide Breaker... He came back..." Chung replied. He explained the situation to both of them, to which Raven commented, "What does he think he's trying to pull?"

"Why deliberately test us though?" Rena added, a look of doubt on her face.

"Probably so he can see what we're made of," Chung stated, blood oozing from his hand now.

"Whatever the reason, we now know we can't dawdle," Raven said seriously. "Let's go and get that wound looked at, Chung."

* * *

**Back at the Elgang Household...**

"Is he awake yet?"

"Not quite. Let me try this..."

*SPLASH*

"HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?"

Add finally awoke from his unconscious state, soaking and shivering in ice cold water and bound to a chair as he glared up at Ara and Aisha.

"System error, system error," went the Dynamos. "Water blocks not engaged. Shutting down Dynamos..."

"Oops..." Aisha said with a sweatdrop.

"Gah... My Dynamos are wet... Perfect..." Add spat with a sigh.

"Alright, start talking," Ara said. "Where you from and what do you have with Eve?"

"I'm from the future, believe it or not," Add explained. "I was trying to find my correct past, but it turned out I had an extremely low chance of doing so."

Ara eyes widened. "You control time and space too?"

"Yes." A pause. "I set my Dynamos up so that I could travel between timelines. However, it turns out I only had a 42.58 percent chance I could go back home."

His fists curled angrily. "I grew angry. I began wrecking havoc, all the while still trying to find my home."

Aisha sighed. "Rough break man," she said.

_You don't know the half of it, _Add thought with an inward scoff.

"Now, what about Eve?" Ara said.

Add glared again. "Why does it matter to you?"

"Um, you did just attack her," Aisha replied with a bigger sweatdrop. "We would like to know."

Add was about to reply when Raven, Rena, and Chung came in.

"Did you find anything out from Add yet?" Raven asked.

"Not really," Ara answered. "He had been asleep for awhile."

"Well, we have more pressing matters," Rena told her. "The Genocide Breaker is making his move soon. We have to prepare."

_Genocide Breaker? Why does that sound familiar? _Add thought curiously.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt to stay with these guys, at least in order to figure out who was this guy.

And so he could get to Eve.

_A perfect plan created by the perfect time traveler himself. Hehehe..._

* * *

A/N: Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you enjoyed this update! Read and review! Flames be burned in the bonfire of Halloween!

~SRB


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Meaning of Birth

A day or two had passed since the Genocide Breaker had declared of his future actions. The Elgang (along with Add surprisingly) were working overtime to make sure their army was ready for what was to come. So far, nothing major had happened.

...yet.

_But why not? _

Those were Chung's thoughts as he and Eve watched the soldiers - the Nasods - train for the umpteenth time that day in Altara. Why hadn't he done anything yet?

Then again, it was only a day or two that had passed, so it could have been too early.

_But the Genocide Breaker made it seem like as if he were going to do it immediately, _Chung said. It was weird. Unless the deity was calling his bluff about the entire thing in the first place.

_Then what was the whole trip to Hamel for?! He certainly didn't come for a morning stroll._

Chung's mind kept racking throughout the training session, until he heard Eve say, "Don't worry too much. He shall strike when he decides to. And when he does, we'll be ready."

Chung blinked. Was his worry that obvious?

"Sorry, Eve," he responded.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Eve replied, quietly eating a scone prepared by Ophelia. The female servant offered one to Chung, to which the Tactical Trooper took it with a thank you.

"It is my pleasure," Ophelia said, bowing.

Chung ate his scone, still contemplating about the future.

_We'll __be ready, Genocide Breaker! We'll survive your challenge!_

But...

_I wonder how Add, Rena, and Raven are doing in Hamel right now..._

The Genocide Breaker was currently on his way to the kingdom as Chung thought about it.

* * *

**Hamel...**

Rena, Raven, and Add were drilling the soldiers that day when an earth shattering quake rocked the kingdom. The soldiers were likewise surprised at this development.

"Wh-wh what the heck?!" Raven yelled, trying to stable himself against the shockwaves.

"It could be Genocide Breaker's attack! Be ready!" Rena replied, drawing Erendil from its sheath.

Add grinned excitedly, his Dynamos surrounding him in an offensive position. Finally, some action!

The quakes stopped and a loud voice rang out, "Behold your end!"

A black portal opened up, and out spat up Berthe. However, there was something wrong. The wolf like beast was darker, a navy blue, spikes on his back and forearms, and much larger horns. He gave a roar and charged at them.

"Dynamos! Prepare E.S.P.!" Add commanded, sending Berthe flying with Force Nova.

"E.S.P., now activated," the Dynamos replied, and Add began to glow a light purple. Berthe growled, and slashed at him. He gave him a forceful punch, gaining much of his Mana back due to E.S.P* being in use.

Raven had begun to singe Berthe's fur with Hellfire Gatling, armored arm red with flames, before Berthe decided enough was enough and roared at him, sending Raven flying.

"Raven!" Rena yelled, back flipping over a tackle and set up a pitfall. Enraged at having missed, Berthe charged again, but fell for the trap, and dropped in the hole with a howl.

"Time to finish this!" Rena yelled. "Innocent!"

A glowing sphere appeared and Berthe's agonizing cries could be heard as the radiance damaged him. Rena jumped in the air, slashed the sphere, and huge blades of wind began to slice at the monster, and causing Add and Raven to brace themselves against the wind.

Afterwards, there was silence. Rena panted, as such a strong attack was draining on her stamina.

"Is... it over?" Raven said, getting up and walking over to the pit.

"Tch. I secretly hope not," Add spat. "Would've been a waste of my time-"

A dark pulse of energy made its way towards Add unexpectedly, and hit him straight in the chest, sending him flying to the nearby wall and knocking the breath out of him.

The blast was also strong enough that it knocked him and his Dynamos out of commission.

Rena and Raven's eyes widened at this and Berthe had come right back out of his hole, roaring in anger.

"But how?" said Rena, still panting. "Berthe should've been finished off!"

Rena was suddenly grabbed and squeezed by the furry beast, and she screamed as she felt her bones crack.

"Rena!" Raven raised his arm to fire, but he was swatted aside harshly like a bug and hit the exact same wall Add did, creating a crater.

Berthe laughed evilly, continuing to crush Rena and keep Raven at bay. Raven glared at the beast. Was there nothing that could stop him?! Had they already lost?

* * *

White. All white. That's all the boy could see. No, he couldn't see clouds nor sky. Just pure whiteness.

Where was he?

_You're not ready to go yet._

The boy looked around, alarmed at the sudden voice.

_You have unfinished business to attend to. That means you can't come back here._

"Who are you?" the boy finally spoke.

_The one known as Lady El,_ she said. _You need to go back._

"Go back? Go back for what? There's nothing to go back to! And even if that were the case, I've atoned for all my sins, and now I can finally rest..."

_You do have something to go back to,_ Lady El insisted. _Don't deny it. You have family and friends back home that love and care for you. They miss you dearly._

The boy was taken aback. It was true. He did have people that loved and cared for him.

But...

"The things I did to them... Will they forgive me?" he said. "Will I be the same as I once was?"

A pregnant pause resonated in the empty, white expanse. Then came a one word response:

_Perhaps._

That didn't really answer his question, but he rolled with it anyways.

_You shall be accompanied by two others, _Lady El explained. _They shall help you defeat the evil that is the Genocide Breaker. May the stars be in your favor._

And the boy had been set free.

* * *

A harsh bright light filled the sky for all the world to see, temporarily blinding everyone in the vicinity. It even shined in the Genocide Breaker's underwater domain, making him look up and grimace.

"Now what the deuce is going on?" he said.

Three figures appeared before Berthe. The beast narrowed his eyes at them, growling menacingly as he dropped Rena, Raven catching her before she hit the floor. She was unconscious, but breathing. Raven turned to the figures and his eyes widened considerably.

They looked so familiar, and yet...

Yet... There was one that had just taken his breath away most...

"How... are you back, Elsword?"

The thing was, it looked like three of them. One had knight like armor and a larger blade, and the other had a slimmer blade with a rune attached to his arm.

Elsword closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, a new wave of confidence filling them. The trio unsheathed his swords, Elsword saying, "Your end is here, Berthe."

With that, Berthe charged again, spitting out a dark pulse of energy, but they all dodged.

"Gigantic Slash!" the knight looking Elsword yelled, a fiery inferno forming around him. Berthe got sucked in suddenly and was repeatedly slashed furiously by the now giant red sword. The wolf was sent flying, coughing up blood, before getting sucked in by a black hole and the other Elsword look-a-like shouted, "Shining Rune Buster! Runes started exploding everywhere like fireworks, and Berthe screeched in pain and was sent sailing through the air. He, miraculously enough, was still alive.

The real Elsword wasn't having it. "Blade Rain" he roared, and a giant version of his great sword came from the sky, opening and releasing hundreds of Conwells that sliced the wolfish monster to bits. After the attack, Berthe had fallen, now dead.

Raven's eyes still hadn't returned to normal size. They had defeated Berthe so easily. And yet... Elsword was back.

And not dead.

The Infinity Sword turned to Raven, sheathing his swords as the other two came beside. A small smile was etched into his face.

"Nice to see you again."

If Raven had ever been close to crying before, then it compared nothing to this.

* * *

A/N: Yes, Elsword is back! I had planned for this to happen from the beginning. It just wouldn't be an Elsword fanfic without him :P Plus, he and the other two will play a major role from here on.

Also, strangely no one reviewed last chapter. Then again, it was posted on Halloween, so maybe people were out trick or treating then.

Anyhow, early Thanksgiving in advance! Read and review please!

~SRB


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I have more inspiration for this story all of a sudden. But I love it! Note that Elsword (Infinity Sword) and the other Elswords (Lord Knight and Rune Slayer) will be around 17 years old, just in case anyone was wondering.

Also, please check out the poll on my profile. It's important for this story's ending!

* * *

Chapter 7

Reunion

"RAAAAARGH!"

Massive bubbles swarmed and flew everywhere as the Genocide Breaker roared in anger. The glowing lights on his body brightened tenfold, and the sea around him ripped and torn in his rage.

How? How?! Elsword couldn't have come back. He shouldn't even be alive! To add insult to injury, there were two more of those pests. Who could've done this? Who-?

Then, he stopped his rampage as he suddenly recalled the light from earlier. He knew that light all too well. That was the same light that had purged him to this underwater citadel all those years ago...

"Lady El..." he said with realization. Then his eyes burned in hatred. "That blasted Lady El! I'll have her head on a pike after I take back this world!"

And then he roared again, bubbles surrounding him once more.

"Lady El will _pay dearly _for this! I swear it..."

* * *

"Elsword... Elsword... Is that really you?" Raven asked warily.

"Who are you referring to, exactly?" the knight Elsword asked.

"I think he's talkin about Infi here," the fire Mage Elsword replied nonchalantly. Said dual swordsman looked at him pointedly. "Don't call me Infi again."

"What? What else am I supposed to call you-?"

"Enough," the knight told him firmly. "We can figure that out later. Right now, we have to get everyone together. Just as we were told."

The other sighed. "Fine," he said with an eye roll. "Let's get outta here. Otherwise the Genocide Breaker will come after us."

"Right!" said Elsword. Making Conwell disappear, he walked to Add, picked him up, and began to walk away towards the entrance of the city, the other two following suit.

Raven was still rooted to the spot, still unable to shake the feelings he felt now. This was so unreal. He wasn't sure if what he was feeling was real. He didn't know what to feel.

He shook his head, and sending an order to the soldiers who weren't within Berthe's radius of attack to round the troops and get them to their barracks (any who had been injured were to be sent for treatment at the hospital), and soon followed the trio.

* * *

**Velder Entrance...**

The other members of the Elgang from Altera and at the Elgang household waited at the Velder entrance. Chung was the first to see the ship coming to dock, however...

"Hey guys!" Aisha yelled, pushing everyone else out the way. "How was training-?"

She gasped as she saw Raven carrying an unconscious Rena in his arms. "What happened?" she asked urgently.

"The Genocide Breaker arrived and sent a stronger version of Berthe to attack us," Raven said quickly. "Luckily, most of the soldiers were alright."

Chung sighed in relief. "That's great - wait, you took on Berthe with only the three of you?" Chung said, surprised. The last time they group fought Berthe it took all of them to take him out.

"You can say they had a little help."

The group turned their attention to the three Elswords getting off the ship, the Infinity Sword carrying a slowly stirring Add, Dynamos swirling around him.

"Hey guys," greeted the real Elsword. "It's been awhile."

Nobody moved. Nobody could move. Chung and Ara could only gasp in surprise, and even Eve opted for a widening of her eyes. Aisha's eyes blinked in surprise for what seemed like an eternity before having tears well in them.

"ELSWORD!" Aisha practically screamed, running up to him and embracing him tightly.

Chung's eyes were widened in the most perplexed expression ever. "But how?" he said, not believing what he was actually seeing. "You died in the rubble at the Halls of Water..."

"I'll explain everything when we get back home," Elsword told him quickly. "Right now, Rena and Add are hurt."

He walked ahead of everyone else, the other two Elswords following suit. Ara was the first to break the pregnant pause.

"What is going on?"

"No clue," Chung replied, just as confused and bewildered as the others. "But we aren't getting answers just sitting here. Let's go."

The others nodded, and they proceeded to follow after the redheads.

* * *

**Elgang Household...**

Sometime later, the group made it inside the home. The weather outside was turning quite moody, clouds swirling around.

Rena and Add were upstairs, Aisha tending to both of their wounds, while everyone else sat at the kitchen table.

"So... Elsword, how are you... How are you still alive?" Chung inquired.

"And how are there three of you?" Raven said.

"Well, I wouldn't be able to answer the second question without getting through the first," Elsword said, the dual swordsman elbowing the mage harshly before he could say anything. "Lady El brought me back. She told me that I had something to go back to, that my life here on Elrios was basically not finished. In short, I still have something to live for, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Lady El saved you?!" Ara said, nearly choking on her drink in shock.

Elsword nodded. "Crazy, huh? But she also sent these two to help me out." He gestured to the other Elswords beside him.

"Hey guys!" the mage Elsword greeted cheerfully. "I'm Rune Slayer."

"And I'm Lord Knight," went the knight Elsword, a stoic expression on his face.

"... May we give you two a byname of sorts?" Eve asked. "It would make things much easier to identify you with, and so we wouldn't have to keep calling you by your full name."

"Perfectly fine with me," Rune Slayer said with a grin, and Lord Knight nodded.

"I'd say we'd called Lord Knight Els," Chung suggested, "and call Rune Slayer... well, Slayer. It's a much more fitting name than calling Lord Knight 'Knight anyway'."

"That's cool!" Slayer said excitedly. "I like it! It fits me! I mean, I DO slay things..."

Both Elsword and Els rolled their eyes skywards before Els nodded to Chung's suggestion. "Simple, but effective. Thanks," he said with a small smile.

"Whoa, you actually smiled for once?!" Slayer gasped in mock surprise.

"I'm not a robot," Els replied with a raised eyebrow.

Eve's left eye twitched slightly at that remark.

"On any note, how do you look exactly like Elsword?" Ara asked.

"Well, you see, we came from alternate timelines," Slayer explained. "I came from the past, and Els came from the future. The Elsword you see now is the present one."

"Wait, what?!" Raven exclaimed. "So, you're time travelers?"

"Not exactly," came Els' response. "Slayer and I never knew each other until we had died. We originally were never meant to exist.

"But, that blasted Genocide Breaker... He distorted time and space to the point where it made alternate dimensions... Effectively, creating Slayer and I . In both of our timelines, we failed to end the Genocide Breaker's life, and were killed in the process.

"Afterwards, just as the world was about to get destroyed, Lady El sealed him away with two weapons and that was the last the world of him until now."

"Wait, I thought there were three weapons?" Raven said.

"The third weapon was lost, and made the seal weaker," Slayer told him. "The ironic thing is, the weapon looked a lot like Elsword's sword."

* * *

A/N:Yea, this was kind of a filler, but it explained some of things that are major pieces of the plot. More questions and answers to come in the following chapters!

As always, RnR! Constructive criticism is welcomed. Flames are not.

~SRB


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Nothing much to say here except enjoy the chapter! Also, thanks for 2,000+ views!

* * *

Chapter 8

Brains vs Brawn

"What?!"

That was Elsword's voice in surprise as his eyes widened. "You're saying... that my weapon, Conwell, is... the third lost weapon?" he said.

"Yes," Slayer replied, and his for the first time his signature smirk was gone. "For some reason or another, the third weapon was lost during the passage of time, and as stated previously, made the seal on Genocide Breaker weaker. Now that he's free, he's slowly regaining the power he lost when he was locked away. The challenge that the Genocide Breaker gave you guys? It's only a distraction so that he can he regenerate his powers faster."

Everyone at the table gasped. "So, he's been fooling us all this time?" Chung asked.

Slayer nodded.

"Then we must change our course of action if that's the case," Eve declared.

"The best way to go about it is to attack now while you have the element of surprise," Els told them. "He'll be too busy trying to gather all the power he can get, and he'll be distracted."

"But how are we going to find him?" Ara asked with a raised eyebrow. "Doesn't he live at the bottom of the sea?"

"Yea, but there is a way we can get to him," Els explained. "There is a place in the sea where the entrance to his domain and ours are divided by a boundary called the Dimensional Horizon. In order to enter it, the three keys must be present to open it. As soon as we enter, we'll be in his lair. Fair warning: once you enter, you won't be able to exit the same way. Also, those soldiers will come in handy, as there are three creatures that block the way to the Dimensional Horizon. Their original intention was to prevent the Genocide Breaker from escaping should the seal break and keeping any interloper from trying to free him for any reason."

"However, ever since the Genocide Breaker turned evil, they kinda... turned evil too," finished Slayer. "They've been corrupted to the point that anyone who isn't Genocide Breaker will be cut down on the spot. So we have that to deal with."

Raven grimaced. "Great," he groaned. "That'll be difficult to handle."

"We'll just have to face the problem when we come to it," Slayer said simply, his signature grin returning. "I'd say we'd prepare first thing in the morning and head on out afterwards. Early bird gets the worm, you know."

Thunder rumbled outside, and heavy rain pattered on the roof.

"... Seems we haven't a choice then," Eve said after a brief pause. "Everyone agree?"

Everyone at the table nodded.

"Then I guess it's time for us to get some rest," Els said, getting up from his seat. "Anywhere we can sleep?"

"We have a guest room upstairs for you two to use," Ara told them.

"Great!" Slayer said. "Thanks!"

* * *

**Later that night...**

"Heh, now's my big chance!"

Add, fully awake and healed, peeked into Eve's room. Oberon and Ophelia were deactivated into rest mode. Eve was sleeping peacefully on her bed, the moon brightening up her features. Add grinned darkly. Time for experimentation.

He crept inside, Dynamos suddenly gaining little scalpel like endings to them as he approached Eve. "Dynamos, begin dissection of the gem," he commanded lowly.

"Engaging dissection," the Dynamos said, honing in on the blue gem on her forehead.

"Harsh Chaser."

Add was dragged back all of a sudden by a white sword, and he whirled around to see none other than Elsword. Add growled, then blinked in surprise and shock. "What the-? Wait, you're...!"

"Elsword. Sorry, Add, but you aren't dissecting Eve in any sort of way," Elsword said seriously. "I'll only say this once. Surrender now, and you won't get hurt."

"Not a chance!" Add growled, and lunged forward at Elsword, who side stepped from his attack.

Elsword sighed. "I warned you..." he said.

The ensuing fight resulted in multiple_ clangs_ from Elsword's swords and _vrees _from Add's energy blasts, and somehow managed to not wake up the others. Elsword had been holding back as Add kept assaulting him with furious combos, primarily dodging most of the time. He wanted to save his strength for the upcoming battle the next day, not waste it here fighting someone like Add. His brow furrowed in annoyance.

After entertaining him for a little longer than Elsword's patience could handle, he performed a Counter, which knocked down Add to the ground with a grunt, and pointed his sword at Add's throat, only for Add to disappear.

Elsword looked about him, blood red eyes narrowed in focus, until a violet aura appeared behind him and Add yelled, "Reverse Circle!"

"Not a chance!" The redhead countered the blow with a Kick to the stomach, causing Add to cough a bit of blood and knocked him into a wall.

Elsword walked up to his defeated opponent, then said, "Give up, Add. It's no use."

Add growled as he struggled to stand. "Shut it!" he barked. "How are you even alive right now? You died didn't you? And how'd you look different?"

"Because that's the wrong one you're referring to," Els said suddenly, walking down the steps in his plain T-shirt and red pants that had the Velder Garrison emblem emblazoned on it. His great sword was wielded in his hand, an annoyed look on his face.

"Elsword, care to explain why you're causing a racket?" Slayer yawned out beside Els, with a matching red T-shirt and shorts, sword in hand as well.

Add's eyes widened at the Elsword trio. "B-but how? How are there three of you?" he stammered.

"Long story," all three of them said at once.

A roar then sounded, and it caused the four to look out a nearby window. Outside the house was Cutty Sark, although his normal yellow eyes had a mad glint to them, his body was a darker navy blue like Berthe, and fangs protruded from his mouth like knives. Altogether, he looked a lot more frightening than before.

"Another subject of the Genocide Breaker, I presume?" Els stated, turning his glance to it as he prepared a battle stance.

"Most likely," Slayer said, runes in his other hand.

Elsword nodded, brandishing both of his great swords. He then turned to Add. "You joining?" he asked.

But Add was already out there, a smirk on his face as he went out to fight the beast. Purple blasts of light could be seen.

The Elsword trio shrugged, then followed his lead, weapons in hand as they went to attack...

Only to be blasted away by a column of fire from Cutty Sark. They got back up, the wet ground managing to prevent them from getting set on fire, and ran towards him again.

"Luna Blade!" yelled Slayer, and a large blue blade appeared and went to stab Cutty Sark, but the wyvern dodged the attack, only to give an angry roar of pain at his tail being severed by a Mirage Sting, courtesy of Elsword.

"Nice work there, Elsword!" Slayer called, sending more fire runes in Cutty Sark's face, making him flinch.

"Heh, no problem- ah!"

Elsword was promptly pinned down on the ground by an enraged Cutty Sark, his talons pinching harshly on his skin. He then proceeded to bring his mouth down onto Elsword, and started taking small, painful bites out of him. Elsword flailed about, trying to summon an attack, but with both his arms pinned he couldn't do much to fight back.

_Now I knew how Chung felt when he got pinned by me, _Elsword recalled, thinking back when he was still in Ran's control and was forced to fight his teammates.

"Windmill!" Elsword heard Els shout, slashing about in a furious circle as he and Slayer tried to free him. It worked and Elsword was freed, but it just pissed off Cutty Sark even more, and he retaliated by grabbing Els with his teeth, tossed him up in the air, and prepared to swallow him whole.

"Paranoia!"

The area was flooded with a purple light, which caught Cutty Sark's attention, causing Els to not fall in the wyvern's mouth, but smack dab on the ground with a pained groan.

"You okay!?" Slayer asked, concern written on his features as the purple light increased in intensity, coupled with a harsh explosion seconds after that cracked spacetime itself, causing Cutty Sark immeasurable pain, and his inevitable death.

"Hn, too easy," came Add's voice as he appeared from the shadows, dark violet eyes gleaming. "And before you even ask where I was, I was resting to regain my Mana. That fight with Elsword earlier sapped most of the energy needed for Paranoia, and I still hadn't fully recovered from when I awoke. I decided to let you guys do the dirty work while I recharged."

The three redheads glared at him, before hearing Add laugh. "Intellect does beat brute strength any day," he said with a smirk.

"Elsword!"

That was Aisha and the rest of the party from Eve's bedroom window. They clearly weren't happy with having been awoken.

Els, Elsword, and Slayer sweatdropped. They had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

A/N: Happy New Year everyone! Hope everyone had a good Christmas last year!

Anyways, RnR!

~SRB


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome back to more Path of Radiance! The end is close by, about two chapters left, plus a possible epilogue.

Now, with that out of the way, let's get on with this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 9

A Link Between Worlds

"Why in the name of Lady El were you doing up this late at night?"

Aisha smacked Elsword with her rod for the umpteenth time, leaving him slumped on the floor with a lump on his head. "Gah, could you stop that?" he groaned painfully, cringing as his wounds stung a bit even after the Dimension Witch healed them. "I just got burned and snacked on by Cutty Sark..."

"Wait, Cutty Sark?" Aisha said, no longer angry.

"Another monster of the Genocide Breaker came, but Add killed him," Elsword explained.

"Add?" Ara said, surprised.

"Yea, piece of cake really," Add replied with a dark smirk. "Those three - he gestured to the redheads - were complete scrubs compared to what I did."

"Why you little..." growled Slayer, but Els held him back with a shake of his head.

"Well, luckily the Cutty Sark was taken down before any massive damage could take place," Elsword said gratefully. "Now, all we can do is rest up again, and get ready for the next battle tomorrow."

The group nodded, but Aisha said, "That doesn't explain why you initially woke up in the first place-"

"Talk later, rest now," interrupted Slayer, yawning widely. "Now, let's get going."

As everyone made to go to their rooms for the night, Add thought he saw Eve give him a small glare out of the corner of her eye. He gulped inwardly. Did she know what he did? No, she couldn't have.

Could she?

* * *

**The Next Morning...**

That following morning, with everyone fully rested and healed, the Elgang and the many armies from Velder, Hamel, and Altera assembled in front of the Velder docks. The prince of Hamel himself turned to his troops, and sighed. There would be no second chances. They only had one shot. One shot to set everything straight. One shot to rid the world of its evils once and for all.

"Soldiers! We will now depart for the final battle to stop the Genocide Breaker's schemes. This fight will be tougher than any demon we have ever fought before, tougher than _Ran _ever was. We - Chung gestured to the Elgang - will deal with the Genocide Breaker personally. There will be a tough enemy guarding the Genocide's Breaker's home. It will be up to you all to keep it at bay."

He gave another sigh as he continued, "Once we depart from here, we cannot come back. This is quite the daunting endeavor, and I understand if anyone wants to leave. If anyone wishes to step down, you may do so."

A heavy silence fell upon the group like a dense fog, permeating throughout the docks. For moments, the atmosphere was like this. Then, a swordsman broke the stiff quiet.

"While our enemy may be great, I refuse to back down! I will willingly sacrifice my life to save the world from this tyrant!"

Another soldier piped up, "Same here! I'm not giving up!"

Each and every soldier then suddenly began to say similar things, their morale not at all swayed by the incoming danger. Chung was nonetheless shocked at this, but he smiled all the same. They weren't scared at all. They were ready alright.

After a few moments, he began to talk again, in which the talking ceased. "I thank you all for your help. Now, let us go forth for the sake of Elrios!"

"YES, SIR!"

* * *

**In the Genocide Breaker's lair...**

The Genocide Breaker stewed quietly in his home, the lights on his body brightening and dimming in thought. They were coming alright. And if it was a fight with him they wanted, it was a fight they were going to get.

"Persistent bags of flesh and bone, they are," he growled. "By the end of this, they'll think twice about taking on a time-space god."

His tail cut through the water surrounding him with a powerful swish. "But first, how about a little appetizer to spice things up for those maggots? It's certainly not fair that they have an advantage over _me _of all people. In addition, I'm still pissed off at those cherry headed brats for killing Berthe. They deserve a thousand deaths."

He looked behind him with a toothy smirk. "Wouldn't you agree, my dearest pets?"

Six pairs of eyes appeared ominously from the darkness.

* * *

**In the middle of the sea...**

The Elgang and the Elrios Army sailed across the ocean swiftly towards their destination. At the front of the main ship were the three Elswords, looking off into the far horizon. They did this for a few moments before Els spoke.

"Elsword, aren't you scared of what lies ahead?"

Elsword turned to Els. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," he replied.

"Yet your aura shows otherwise," Els observed. "You're calm, almost at ease with the situation."

Elsword smirked lightly. "You read me like a book."

"But how? How are you so calm? You could die today."

Slayer decided to add in his two cents. "Elsword's so calm because he has no more doubt in his heart. He knows that there's danger, but he knows he can't be scared when he faces it. He knows he has to be brave for his friends. For everyone."

Elsword raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you become the philosophical one?" he asked.

Slayer shrugged. "I think Els has been rubbing off on me," he said cheekily.

Els sighed. "You guys are hopeless..."

Elsword laughed a bit before turning his attention to the horizon. He narrowed his eyes. The sky... it was shimmering...

"Odd..." he said. "Why is the sky shimmering...?"

"That means we're close," Els stated seriously. "The Dimensional Horizon is up ahead."

"I wonder if the Genocide Breaker knows of our coming," Slayer wondered aloud.

"Yea. Without a shadow of a doubt," said Elsword.

* * *

**The Dimensional Horizon...**

The three redheads, along with the Elgang, appeared at the entrance of the Dimensional Horizon, the air a shifting, squirming mass of a distortion of time and space. All of them look quite anxious to get this over with, except with Elsword and Add. Both of them managed to keep himself composed despite it all.

Somehow, those enemies at the entrance weren't

"Alright," Els said, turning to the other two next to him. "Are we set?"

"Yea," Elsword and Slayer said in unison.

Els nodded, then unsheathed his sword. as did Elsword and Slayer. Elsword looked to Conwell. What would become of the precious white sword he had known and love? He gulped audibly. As they raised their swords toward the gateway, a voice rang out, _"My, my, the little flesh beings have made their way to the gate."_

"It's him," Chung growled, tightening his grip on his Destroyer.

_"You catch on pretty fast, don't you?" _the Genocide Breaker said sarcastically. _"You fools thought it would be sunshine and rainbows getting through here? Think again."_

A gargantuan navy blue tail appeared out of nowhere and slammed down upon the ocean, causing massive waves to form and the ships to rock violently about. Many a solider fell in and drowned, while the three Elswords and Add were grabbed by that same tail, and pulled down into water below.

"ELSWORD!" cried the rest of the Elgang, even as more trouble began to appear. Three headed behemoths with serpent bodies and devilish heads hissed and writhed about. Each of their heads were frothing with fire, ice, and electricity.

Raven's face looked grim. With half of their troops and Elswords and Add gone, they were in hot water.

"I guess we're screwed now," Raven said, the fire on his metal arm glowing.

"Yea," Ara replied. "How are we going to get through the gates now?"

"The gates are now secondary priority," Eve told the others. "Our current targets are the beasts that lay before us. We must defeat them."

The beasts roared as the remaining members of the Elgang got prepared for battle.

* * *

A/N: OMG I HAVE COME BACK FROM THE DEAD!

JK but seriously, sorry I was gone for a whole two and a half months. I had no inspiration for this chapter and I was super busy with school and such matters (not to mention I was in a competition earlier this month for three days. Placed fifth in one category! :D)

The next chapter(s) will contain the epic final battles. And let me tell you, they will be epic.

Now, read and review! Sorry if this chapter seemed to be rushed in anyway.

~SRB


	10. Some news

So, it has come to this.

First of all, I know author's notes are probably not allowed as written chapters, but this just needs to be said. It's been on my mind for ages, and I've been debating with myself on whether or not to do this. I've made my decision.

Yes, it has almost been an entire year since I last updated this story. And I do apologize for not updating. Sincerely.

The thing is, it's not that I _don't _want to update, it's that I _can't. _I no longer have the inspiration for Path of Radiance. I loved doing so in the past, but now, with school and other things in life keeping me company, I just... well, don't know what to do.

So, as of now, Path of Radiance is discontinued, and will probably stay that way until I decide otherwise, or unless someone wants to pick up the slack and decides to adopt this story, in which case I'm fine with that (although if you're gonna ask for some plot details that may or may not be missing, I might have forgotten, it's been so long. XD).

I had fun, real fun, writing this two part series. It was really cool. But now, I'll focus on other stuff.

So with that, thanks to those of you who read and reviewed ever since the beginning. Your support was much appreciated, and helped with some of my chapters! :D

Thank you all!

~SRB


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